>> hello and welcome to the "journal" on dw. i am meggin leigh. >> here is what is coming up. former british prime minister margaret thatcher dies at the age of 87. tributes come in for the iron lady. german chancellor angela merkel and russian president vladimir putin pledged to keep economic ties, despite political differences. >> and the remains of pablo neruda are exhumed to investigate whether he was murdered by the pinochet regime. >> tributes have been pouring in

from around the world for margaret thatcher, the former british prime minister, who died today at the age of 87 following a stroke. former leaders mikhail gorbachev, helmut kohl, and bill clinton were among those who were the first to offer praise, calling her iconic. >> she is famously known as the iron lady because of her tough and uncompromising style. thatcher was britain's first female prime minister. her economic reforms transformed britain, but were also deeply polarizing. in recent years, she largely kept out of the public eye as her health began to deteriorate. >> at her last public appearance in 2010, margaret thatcher could barely stand. at her side was british prime minister david cameron, who earlier today offered this moving statement. >> i believe she will go down as the greatest risk peacetime prime minister. >> european leaders echoed those sentiments.

>> she was one of the few people who wrote history even while she was still alive. >> may, 19 79. an historic moment in britain. thatcher became the first woman to move into number 10 downing street. >> i know full well the responsibilities that await me as i enter the door of number 10. >> and responsibility she bore for more than 11 years, longer than any other -- a responsibility she bore for more than 11 years, longer than any other british prime minister in the 20th century. she took on the mining industry. 25,000 miners were put out of work. she made sweeping cuts to the welfare system. thousands protested. the unrest lasted for days. thatcher remained firm, earning her the nickname the iron lady. >> in 1984, the ira carried out a bomb attack on a party conference. thatcher narrowly escaped the

blast, but insisted -- >> the conference will go on as usual. >> at a 1989 nato meeting, she positioned herself next to u.s. president george bush to she distanced herself from fellow european leaders, especially -- george bush. she distanced herself from fellow european leaders, especially home and coal -- especially helmut kohl. having come of age during world war ii, thatcher closely aligned herself with the u.s., especially after her friend ronald reagan took office. after his death in 2004, thatcher praised him for having achieved so much against so many odds. the same could also be said of her. >> let's go straight to london, to our correspondent there. we know that margaret thatcher was a very divisive figure. what has been the reaction to the news of her death? >> also very mixed.

industry had a lot to say. she believed in competition. she was one of the great leaders. tony blair said that she changed the political landscape of the country and the world, and that some of the changes were retained by his labor government -- labour government, but there have also been a lot of critical voices. one british newd newspaper had to shut down the comments on its website. -- one british newspaper had to shut down the comments on its website. >> what will be the legacy? >> also divisive. she was loved by conservatives for free-market capitalism, the privatization of industry and utilities. she stood for the beliefs. the left have a very different view on her legacy. they remember the mining

strikes and how she crushed them and how she is responsible for the diminishing role of the british trade union -- unions and also for the decline of the manufacturing industry. her legacy really depends on which side of the party political divide you are on. >> let's talk about her international legacy. she will be remembered for taking britain to war over the fault in ireland. >> as in the uk, she was very tough on her opponents abroad. and she sent in the military to the faulkner islands immediately and won that war. she was applauded by many people. also northern ireland, she had a very hard stance. critics say she drove young catholics into the arms of the ira because of that. in attribute, one leader said she played a shameful role. she was divisive on the international stage as well. germany, obviously, will

remember her for being opposed to the unification. she was open for enlargement, but very much afraid of the political union and afraid of a german dominance in europe. >> thank you very much for that. to talk about margaret thatcher's legacy here in germany, we are joined in the studio by our political correspondent, simon young. tanks for being with us. we know margaret -- thanks for being with us. we know margaret thatcher was in power at the end of the cold war, when divisions were eating -- ending in europe. she distanced herself from germany. how do germans view her? >> the tone in berlin has been very respectful. her sometimes add ms. terry -- her sometimes adversary helmut kohl described her as a wonderful woman and a great prime minister. he praised her as an early

supporter of appeasement -- peace movement in eastern europe, which is interesting. while she backed mikhail coro child -- macau gorbachev, she was extremely -- mikhail gorbachev, she was extremely skeptical about unification. a lot of germans remember, particularly, thatcher's combative style, which they never warmed to. they did not like the idea of a politician who try to assert her vision and ideology, undermining or revolutionizing the whole economic basis of communities -- that's not the sort of thing german politicians would attempt. they did not like her approach on europe, moving, it seemed, britain away from europe. >> what was the reason for her stance? why was she against german reunification? >> her attitudes toward germany were very much rooted to her experience in growing up during the second world war.

her hometown was bombed. she once told the former german president that her view of germany had not changed since 1940, as strange as that may sound. i think she was worried by the prospect of an overly mighty german economy under reunification. she worried that the new germany might outshine britain within europe, so her attitude to germany was sort of dominated by those concerns. >> you touched on these concerns a moment ago. thatcher was a great eurosceptic -- euroskeptic. that attitude still lives on. >> she did not see europe as a visionary idea that would take things forward. she worried that if britain. too involved in europe, that would undermine the so-called special relationship -- if britain got too involved in europe, that would undermine the so-called social relationship written had undertaken with the

u.s. -- britain had undertaken with the u.s. that sort of laid the arm's- length attitude for britain towards europe, even now. >> tank you for joining us in studio to talk about margaret thatcher -- thank you for joining us in studio to talk about margaret thatcher. russian leader vlamir puti was also among those toaise liant polical fi.ng her a dayisgeany,re heafter a two- faced protest over his country's human rights record. >> civil liberties were also raised -- those civil liberties were also raised by chancellor merkel. russia is the partner nation at this year's hanover fair. >> if only relations between germany and russia were as unencumbered as ms. robot -- as ms. robot -- this robot.

it can even fly. but then it crashes. chancellor merkel attempts to rescue the situation. >> i'm sure it was my steering that confused the poor dragonfly. >> it was difficult for the day. the jokes fell flat. the mood never really thought -- thawed as angela merkel and vladimir putin made their way around the trade fair. when it comes to the economy, there is no reason for the long faces. more russian firms are showcasing their work in hanover than ever before. and put in noted is not -- putin rooted it is not just firms in the energy sector being noticed -- putin noted it is not just firms in the energy sector being noticed. russia has already announced

that important deals have been made, but is not giving details until the end of the fair. putin and merkel traded a few personal gestures. it is clear that relations are not at a high point. >> the current relationship between berlin and moscow is far more rocky than it has been in past decades. in fact, it has been cooling for some time now. >> in 2012, putin introduced a new law under which nongovernmental organizations, and geo-'s mamma must register as foreign agents -- and geo--- nongovernmental organizations, ngo's, must register as foreign agents. >> the state prosecutor arrives for the camera in tow. later, the pictures he recorded our broadcast on the pro- kremlin tv station. russian authorities have carried out hundreds of similar raids at ngo's over the past few

weeks. among the ngo's searched was t he konrad adenauer foundation. >> it is not right to intimidate the population in this manner. this is a disgrace for russia, a member of the european council. >> such harsh criticism from year -- from germany is rare. in the past, it would have been unthinkable. helmet -- helmut kohl and mikhail gorbachev. another chancellor called vladimir putin of -- a friend and true democrat as part of a strategy aimed at encouraging russia to embrace democracy. this strategy of claim -- change through closer ties is still being pursued, especially by germany's opposition social democrats. >> if you want to bring about change, step-by-step, continually over the years --

about change through reproach but -- reproach when -- reproach him -- rapproachment -- >> relations have become rockier. the government is walking a thin line by trying to keep a distance, but not sever ties. >> we have to persuade the russians that it is not in their insurance -- interest to curtail civil society, but on the other hand, nothing will change unless we exert pressure. we have to do both. >> the success of germany's russia strategy is questionable. since putin returned to power, police have used force to break up antigovernment demonstrations. activists such as pussy riot have been jailed. so far, the apology of change through reproach meant -- rapp

rochement does not seem to be working. >> in syria, at least 15 people have been killed in a suicide attack. >> the attack tour through the busy district in the center of the capital. -- tour through the city. -- the attack tore through the busy district in the center of the capital. >> people in the balkan state of montenegrin are waiting for an announcement from the electoral commission after both candidates claim the victory. >> maildrop lekic claimed that -- my a drag lekic -- meow drag lekic -- miodgrag le -- miodrag lekic and filip vujanovic meldricbothc l =-- fp

vujanovic both claimed victory. >> back in a minute.

>> welcome back to the show. u.s. secretary of state john kerry says he is convinced there is a road to peace in the middle east, but he has no illusions about the difficulties in getting their. >> president shimon peres agreed with that. kerry is trying to bring them back to the negotiating table. 200,000 holocaust survivors live in israel. >> there is a new initiative to use smartphones to connect a younger generation to victims. for many israelis, it is also touching a raw nerve. >> israel stands still to

remember 6 million murdered jews. at the university campus, a new kind of remembrance is taking place. volunteers from an ad agency handout temporary tattoos with id numbers that were once given to real holocaust victims in non-see -- nazi concentration camps. >> every year, holocaust survivors pass away. we want to create connection between the survivor still with us and their stories and the young people from today. they are the ones who have to carry on the memories of what happened. >> each number has a corresponding barcode that can be scanned onto a smart phone to learn more about the person and the story behind the number. this is abraham, an auschwitz survivor who lost his family there. >> [speaking foreign language]

>> it means a lot to me and it is very moving. the good thing is that the campaign is oriented towards our lives today. it is easy to pull out an iphone and see the person and their story right away. it is very moving. >> the scannable live stories have been well received, but wearing a tattoo -- some say that is going too far. >> it is such a strong symbol. i'm not sure i want to have it on my arm. it's important to remember the holocaust, but not with the number you would only brandon animal with. that's not how i want to remember it. -- brand and animal -- an animal with. >> some survivors and their

descendents have participated in the campaign, but others find it tasteless. >> those people who still have that burned in their flesh feel still the pain and the humiliation of it, and so i don't see any reason to turn this into a game. >> some see the tattoo and smartphone app as a new way to share the memories of what happened with a new generation. for others, it is painful and inappropriate on what is one of the most solemn days of the year in israel. >> we want to turn our attention to a more current humanitarian crisis in the world. what can the world do to help crisis-hit region of darfur were -- darfur? that is the topic of a conference in doha. >> qatar has said it will give 380 million euros to help rebuild the war-torn region of western sudan. the darfur region has suffered a

decade-long conflict that has claimed 100,000 civilian lives. >> time for some business news and international creditors are delaying the next payment of portugal's bailout until the country makes more budget cuts. that story dominated the market in europe on monday. our correspondent has more from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the government of portugal -- and portugal are stuck between a rock and a hard place. it has to do reforms to get the money. on the other hand, the highest court is against some of these efforts. to the financial markets, this is fear that the european debt crisis might get into a new round. but nevertheless, investors stood quite calm. they said portugal has always been able to manage its problems to nevertheless, the dax h h heen flatlining, not

only because of the european debt crisis, but also because of the uncertainty in advance of the earnings season. >> let's get a closer look at the numbers for you. the word of the day -- caution. traders in frankfurt held their positions on monday with the dax closing the day little changed. there is a similar story for the euro stoxx 50. the dow jones industrial average is treading water, not doing a lot. the euro-dollar is currently trending higher. it has been an unusually long winter here in germany. it is not just affecting the mood of me and meggin. it is also impacting the economy. >> many of the country's national -- natural gas reserves are close to empty. analysts say any distraction of imports could lead -- disruption of imports could

lead to shortages. natural gas is used for heating and used to fuel many of germany's powerplants. the strong demand has pushed prices up nearly 50% compared to last month. >> germany's auto industry is holding up fairly well amid the ongoing eurozone crisis, especially lecturing brands such as porsche, which has emerged as the world's most -- luxury brands such as porsche, which has emerged as the world's most popular luxury. >> it averaged a profit of 17,000 euros per unit sold. general motors and ford ended up at the bottom of the profitability table, incurring losses of more than 800 euros per unit sold. >> chancellor merkel has said germany will not bailout its crisis-hit shipping industry, despite its important role in germany ross export economy. >> merkel was -- germany's export economy. >> urkel was speaking -- merkel

was beating at a conference. -- merkel was speaking at a conference. she said investment in infrastructure projects like a canal would ring results -- bring results. >> time for soccer news. just one day after i am unit secured a record of 23 ash a record -- they are in munich secured a record -- byron munich -- bayern munich won a record 23rd title -- >> he set them up. another player knock them down. they earned their club a lucky win. if nürnberg were lucky, their opponent was anything but. nürnberg produced nothing in

the opening period and were poor after the break, too, until the 54th minute. the defender sent home the opening goal. nürnberg's lead lasted only 16 -- six minutes. mainz equalized. soon, a dead ball again. and the delivery made it through. 2-1. it was not pretty. nürnberg does not mind. undefeated in nine games, they can start training. -- draining -- dreaming. >> bayern (one else in the dust. >> dormant looked like their self -- dortmund look like themselves of old.

everyone is down to -- every went down to 11th place can harbor realistic hopes. hamburg looked revived. they are just one point off of relegation. >> experts in chile are exhuming the body of poet pablo neruda to try to determine whether he died of cancer or if he was poisoned, as his former driver now claims. >> the nobel prize-winning author died in 1973, just a few days after we -- after the world's -- one of the world's most notorious queues -- whose -- coups. them in the view from neruda>>'. the house has been turned into a museum. neruda was also buried here.

his death certificate says he died of prostate cancer, but his former driver and personal advisor believes he was poisoned. >> he was simply not ill enough to die. his cancer was under control. he could have lived for another eight years. >> neruda died in september, 1973, in a hospital in san diego,, just 12 days after the military coup that brought general pinochet to power. suspicions have long lingered that the dictator may have had a hand in his death. the router could have been up problem for pinochet -- neruda would have become a problem for pinochet. he was planning to go into exile to raise opposition to the regime. the root' family say they -- neruda's family say they just want the truth. >> exhuming the body could give us confirmation. tests will be able to determine

whether he really died of concert -- cancer or whether another substance caused his death. it's likely to take months for the results of the tests to come through. even then, they may not be conclusive, since neruda's remains have been underground for so many years. >> we want to recap our top story. tributes have been pouring in from around the world for margaret thatcher. the former prime minister of britain died today at the age of 87 following a stroke. >> we will bring you updates in further bulletins. join us then. thanks for joining us. stay tuned. captioned by thenational captioning institute-- www.ncicap.org--